nofluer, what do you mean by neonicotinoids being “persistent in the water column?” From what I’ve read, they generally break down quite rapidly due to biological activity and sunlight. At longest, some residue may last a few years in soil. Here’s a recent EPA article which says that neonicotinoid seed treatment of soybeans is effective for only 3-4 weeks: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-10/documents/benefits_of_neonicotinoid_seed_treatments_to_soybean_production_2.pdf “…neonicotinoid seed treatments as currently applied are only bioactive in soybean foliage for a period within the first 3-4 weeks of planting, which does not overlap with typical periods of activity for some target pests of concern…”
Ummm… the bee keeper is NOT “giving your sister honey for free.” Your sister is EARNING the honey – it’s what most people would call rent. “Giving” land owners “free” honey in return for hive placement space is an old tradition. If your sister’s “tenant” begrudges her the pittance in honey he’s “giving” her, tell her to tell him to take his bees and his attitude elsewhere – and see if she can’t either find someone else (if she needs the pollination services the bees provide) or better yet – get her own bees! Bee keeping is not as hard OR as dangerous as many people think.
The Bee Keeper that uses my Sister’s land has only had one real problem in the last few years.
The demand for honey, and the increased amount people are willing to pay, has made it harder for him to part with the small amount he has been giving them for free.
He has had zero issues with the bee’s health.
Since neonics are persistent in the water column, I’d be more concerned about the environmental health threat to humans and the planet than the bees. I mean – bees have been around a couple of million years. We haven’t. That suggests that we are more fragile than the bees.
But lest you get complacent, The bees that lived in the Western hemisphere a couple of million years ago are gone – they died off completely – so bees are NOT bullet proof to mass die-offs.
nofluer, what do you mean by neonicotinoids being “persistent in the water column?” From what I’ve read, they generally break down quite rapidly due to biological activity and sunlight. At longest, some residue may last a few years in soil. Here’s a recent EPA article which says that neonicotinoid seed treatment of soybeans is effective for only 3-4 weeks:
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-10/documents/benefits_of_neonicotinoid_seed_treatments_to_soybean_production_2.pdf
“…neonicotinoid seed treatments as currently applied are only bioactive in soybean foliage for a period within the first 3-4 weeks of planting, which does not overlap with typical periods of activity for some target pests of concern…”
Furthermore, research indicates that hardly any neonicotinoid residue finds its way into the pollen and nectar of treated plants (where it could be taken up by bees):
https://entomologytoday.org/2014/02/06/neonicotinoids-barely-found-in-pollen-of-seed-treated-plants/
Ummm… the bee keeper is NOT “giving your sister honey for free.” Your sister is EARNING the honey – it’s what most people would call rent. “Giving” land owners “free” honey in return for hive placement space is an old tradition. If your sister’s “tenant” begrudges her the pittance in honey he’s “giving” her, tell her to tell him to take his bees and his attitude elsewhere – and see if she can’t either find someone else (if she needs the pollination services the bees provide) or better yet – get her own bees! Bee keeping is not as hard OR as dangerous as many people think.
The Bee Keeper that uses my Sister’s land has only had one real problem in the last few years.
The demand for honey, and the increased amount people are willing to pay, has made it harder for him to part with the small amount he has been giving them for free.
He has had zero issues with the bee’s health.
Since neonics are persistent in the water column, I’d be more concerned about the environmental health threat to humans and the planet than the bees. I mean – bees have been around a couple of million years. We haven’t. That suggests that we are more fragile than the bees.
But lest you get complacent, The bees that lived in the Western hemisphere a couple of million years ago are gone – they died off completely – so bees are NOT bullet proof to mass die-offs.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/07/23/call-off-the-bee-pocalypse-u-s-honeybee-colonies-hit-a-20-year-high/